Long-term social media use, particularly on video-sharing websites like TikTok, is exposing young people about their self-described tics, Tourette syndrome, and other self-diagnosed disorders, according to a paper published in January in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.
According to the paper’s authors, there is “an urgent need for concentrated empirical research study into this worrying occurrence that is tied to the more general research and debate exploring social media influences on mental health.” It’s crucial to emphasize that just because some of the kids are sharing their self-diagnoses and presenting to doctors, it does not mean they are not suffering, according to psychiatrist Prof. Pat McGory and the executive director of Orygen’s youth mental health service.
